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The $36 increase refers to Western Australia’s 2025 State Wage Case: the State Minimum Wage went from $917.80 to $953 a week from 1 July 2025. It has since risen again. As of 8 October 2026, the WA State Minimum Wage is $998.30 a week for eligible employees covered by the state industrial relations system.
What did the $36 increase mean?
In its 2025 report, PerthNow said the Western Australian Industrial Relations Commission (WAIRC) raised the State Minimum Wage by $36 a week, from $917.80 to $953, a reported increase of 3.75%. The new rate took effect on 1 July 2025. PerthNow estimated that about 300,000 workers would be affected; that is an approximate estimate, not an exact count. PerthNow’s report of the 2025 decision also noted that the national minimum wage rose by 3.5% to $948 a week at the time. That national figure is context from the 2025 report, not a rate that necessarily applies to every Australian worker.
What is the WA minimum wage now?
For the WA state system, the 2026 State Wage Case increased the State Minimum Wage by 4.75% to $998.30 a week from 1 July 2026. The WAIRC estimates the decision affects more than 300,000 employees and about 27,000 employers. Those are Commission estimates, not exact headcounts. The Commission’s 2026 State Wage Case decision gives the rate and coverage estimate.
The Government of Western Australia lists $998.30 a week as the award-free adult rate for employees aged 21 and over, based on a 38-hour week. The state rate is not a universal minimum for everyone working in WA: it applies to employers and employees in the WA state industrial relations system. The government’s minimum pay guidance for award-free employees explains this scope.
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When should the increase appear in pay?
Although the 2026 rate is effective from 1 July, an individual employee’s updated pay applies from the beginning of their first pay period that starts on or after that date. The date on a payslip can therefore vary with the employer’s pay cycle. For example, if a fortnightly pay period began before 1 July and ended after it, the new rate would apply from the next pay period starting on or after 1 July, rather than automatically from the middle of the existing period.
Which rate should you check?
First identify the industrial relations system that covers your employment. The $998.30 figure is the WA state-system minimum; employees in the national system need to check the applicable Fair Work rate instead. Even within a system, the correct minimum may depend on whether the employee is award-free or covered by an award, as well as the applicable age and employment category. An award classification rate may differ from the award-free minimum.
- Check whether your employer and employment are covered by the WA state system or the national system.
- Confirm whether your role is covered by an award or is award-free.
- Match the rate to your age and employment category, and check whether it is stated hourly or weekly.
- Compare rates only when the jurisdiction, effective date, basis and coverage category match.
Why did the Commission increase the 2025 rate?
PerthNow reported that cost of living was a significant factor in the 2025 decision. It quoted WAIRC Chief Commissioner Stephen Kenner as saying that state minimum wage earners had lost purchasing power during the inflation spike from 2021 to 2024, and that higher prices for food and housing continued to put low-income households under pressure. These remarks are attributed to Kenner as reported by PerthNow.
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